Vascular Surgery Leaves Man Deaf and Blind
October 16, 2015
Robert Klade was left deaf and blind after vascular surgery. He elected to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital, surgeon and anesthesiologist seeking compensation for his injuries.
Klade’s lawsuit is seeking compensation of more than $75,000 for emotional distress, mental anguish, pain, suffering, medical and rehabilitative costs, loss of income, loss of employment, loss of earning capacity and loss of enjoyment of life as a result of elective vascular surgery to repair an open aortic aneurysm in December 2012. The suit also alleges the hospital and its medical staff were negligent for not reducing/reversing Klade’s heparin, not ordering an activated clotting time test and not appropriately handling Klade’s hypotension (low blood pressure).
According to the information filed with the complaint, Klade was given heparin before, during and after the surgery. His surgeon was Dr. Scott Charette and the anesthesiologist was Dr. Robert Childs. The complaint detailed that Klade lost 3,200 ml of blood during the surgery and his heparin was not reduced after the surgery. He was taken to recovery and two hours later transferred to a critical care unit with dangerously low blood pressure.
After being in critical care for two hours both doctors agreed Klade was likely suffering from internal bleeding and he was taken back into surgery. Despite an exploratory operation to determine the source of blood filling Klade’s abdomen, Charette could not find a specific source. Klade was taken back to critical care and remained heavily sedated and on a ventilator for several weeks. He was eventually stable enough to be taken to physical therapy where it was discovered he was blind and almost totally deaf. Klade needs care for the rest of his life.
The medical expenses in a case such as this one would be enormous and difficult to pay. The family would be hard pressed to keep up with their usual financial obligations without attempting to pay the thousands of dollars billed for two surgeries and a prolonged stay in a hospital. Although there are a number of possible solutions, including attempting to secure a personal loan from family members, the best resolution to this dilemma would be applying for litigation funding. A lawsuit loan is emergency funding sent directly to an approved plaintiff, done within 24 to 48 hours. The funds are sent by the fastest method possible and may be used by the plaintiff for anything.
Most, however, take care of their pressing medical bills and hang on to the rest of the funds to deal with any other financial necessity that arises while they are waiting for their case to go to settlement or trial. Cash strapped plaintiffs find pre-settlement funding appealing for a number of reasons. Once they have such funding, they are not obligated to deal with insurance companies in a hurry to get them to settle cheaply, and if they lose their case in court, they get to keep the loan with no strings attached.